The Manual Intervention Trial (MINT) is a comprehensive randomized controlled trial with three treatment arms that included 1,057 people who sought naprapathic care at the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine's clinic for back and/or neck pain. The primary purpose of conducting MINT was to compare the effect of different combinations of naprapathic manual therapy (massage, muscle stretching, spinal manipulation, and spinal mobilization), both regarding desired effects such as pain relief and increased function, and regarding adverse treatment reactions immediately following manual treatment. Secondary purposes are to study the primary research questions in subgroups of patients and to study factors that are significant for the prognosis of back and/or neck pain.
The study, which was conducted in collaboration between the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine and the Musculoskeletal & Sports Injury Epidemiology Center at Karolinska Institutet, began in 2010. The study participants answered questionnaires at the start of the study and on four occasions during the following year. The very extensive material in MINT has formed a significant part of two doctoral theses at Karolinska Institutet, supervised by the principal of the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine, Eva Skillgate.
Eva Skillgate, licensed naprapath, associate professor and member of the Scandinavian College of Naprapathic Manual Medicine's scientific council (project manager)
Kari Paanalahti, licensed naprapath, lecturer, PhD
Martin Asker, licensed naprapath, lecturer, doctoral student
Jessica Lyander, licensed naprapath, lecturer
